Poll: What Do You Like in Your SGA Fanfic?

[sgatlantislight]

So, yeah, a poll. I'm sure I've missed a ton of stuff people love and hate about fanfic (for instance, I'm not fond of drabbles because I always feel like they're just the start of a story and not the whole thing, but I had enough questions and answers already!). Feel free to comment with other things you love or can't stand to find in SGA fanfic

Comments

[ravenlaughing]

I'll pretty much read anything, my qualifier is that it be well-written. Blatant grammar and spelling errors turn me off right away. Even if someone's first language isn't english, there's automatic checkers and plenty of beta readers. An engaging plot is nice, but pwp works as well. I'm not sure I'm terribly crazy about slash being terribly "girly-emo" with the characters. A gay friend always mentions that when I ask him to critique. "Less talking, less emotional discussion during sex," he says. LOL

[sgatlantislight]

Well, yeah, I'm pretty much taking grammatically-tolerable as a given, though the line of tolerability varies from person to person. I know a lot of people aren't bothered by homophones (their/there/they're, could've vs. could of, etc.) because they read by sound, but those things will bring me to a screeching halt because I read by meaning (My best example of this is the common misuse of "then" for "than". I will read "She was taller then he was" as meaning "She was taller at first, but over the course of events he grew to be taller than she was" which is rarely what the author means, and then I get lost).

And, yeah, slash is by and large women's fiction, which means sometimes the guys act less than guy-like... ;) In my head, some characters and pairings are more inclined to be emo with each other-- Carson being the biggest example.

[ravenlaughing]

LOL well, we did get a canon blubbering Carson several times, and his Scottish habit of calling people "love, son" or "cheeky little bugger". hehehe
Homophones drive ne nuts because I'm a visual person. The word is wrong, looks wrong, and makes the picture in my head turn out wrong. But then, redundancy drives me nuts as well. I hate hearing things at work like "continue on" and "refer back". *twitch*

OTOH, you stuff and Xanthe's? I'll read it ANYTIME, no matter the subject! It's killing me that the latest sympathy for Eve has to wait until I'm not at work...lol

[sgatlantislight]

Heh. Well, considering that it's angsty (like potentially tear-inducing) *and* smutty (very), not at work is probably best.

[jadeleopard]

Please note that the 'Elements I like in my ideal SGA fic:' I chose, do not apply to the same fic.

Also, crossovers are my reason for being in fandom.

[sgatlantislight]

Hee! Oh, that's true. Unless it's a long series, having all the things I like in one fic could be pretty scary...

[audreyscastle]

I'll read about anything....a well-written story can sell a lot to me..... :) I don't deal well with character abuse, though (making a character look bad and out of character because you don't like them...if they're gonna be the baddie, keep em in character!)...but that goes back to good writing.... And I even allow a certain amount of leeway with different characterizations in AUs....

[sgatlantislight]

Oh, quite true. Though a lot of times that depends on where you are within canon-- snakehead!Caldwell is more of an asshole than desnaked Caldwell. What bothers me more is taking a character that is even canonically a rival/bad guy and making them stupid in opposition to canon. Kavanagh, for instance, is often portrayed as barely smarter than pond scum, even though he was smart enough to get accepted onto the expedition not once but twice. And he was ultimately responsible for getting the jumper home in "38 Minutes". The portrayal of him as not just a rival but a stupid rival really sets my teeth on edge.

[audreyscastle]

Yeah, Kav is very smart....he annoys me a lot and I often use him as the rival when I need one, but he sure as hell ain't stupid. And I'm not averse to a good-Kavanaugh fic. There's a definite difference between Rodney saying Kav's stupid, because...um, he's Rodney and everyone's dumb compared to him....vs. Radek saying the same, and vs. him being portrayed as stupid. (And for the record, little as I like him, the stupid rival, I don't go for either.)

[sgatlantislight]

*nods*

Well, I've never understood the point of a stupid rival. I mean, isn't the way to make your hero look even more heroic and intelligent to put him up against a real challenge?

[nickespix]

Usually... Since being in the SGA fandom I've read stuff I "usually" wouldn't read. I am not so keen on mpreg, yet I love your "Sympathy for Eve" series. I am also not so keen on dark-fics, but I totally fell in love with inksribes "Puzzling Experience" series, as well as I started to get into pushkin666 and inksribes "Your reward..." series.

Why?

Because they're all brilliantly written. Because they make me buy why the characters are acting the way they act. Or leave room for interpretation or speculation.

As long as something's written that way that I get the motivation of a character, I even enjoy dark fics. If I get the impression, death, gore, blood and violence are just used to pass off time and lines I won't enjoy it.

[sgatlantislight]

*Blushes* Thanks. I will say a lot of people won't even bother to read Sympathy for Eve because of the mpreg. Likewise, I've had someone tell me they wouldn't be reading Aleatoric Life because threesomes are "always unrealistic." I guess we should tell all the polyamourous people that their lifestyle is unrealistic...

[nickespix]

I admit, I am biased when it comes to fanfics. Some characters I just don't like and a few categories I have aversions to

[sgatlantislight]

Well, there's a difference between threesome PWP and an actual threesome relationship and Aleatoric Life was the latter-- Carson, John and Rodney were together for the long haul. I was, sheesh, probably over halfway through before I actually got to any threesome sex in the thing.

[pegasus_01]

PENGUINS!!!!
If I knew how to do the heart thing, I would make a bunch.

I'm game for most things, but what I really like are mostly McShep fics with a good dose of other characters where the plot doesn't necessarily focus on the relationship but it plays a role ^___^
The likethekoschka fics hit every sweet spot for me, for example ^___^

[sgatlantislight]

I've come to the conclusion that in longer works, I like the relationship to be just one more piece of the plot. I mean, we even get that in canon every great once in a while-- a major point of conflict in Trinity is how Rodney put his friendships with Sheppard, Weir and Zelenka on the line. So, hey, I love a fic that much like the series, only with more sex... ;)